People with serious mental illness currently living on the Norristown State Hospital campus are set to lose their home and support services in June in a development deal, writes Brett Sholtis for WHYY.

While the state said it is working with counties to place the around two dozen patients in other programs, county mental health administrators keep stressing that there are no openings right now. This leaves counties scrambling to find accommodations for some of the most vulnerable community members.

The parcel of land they currently live on is being granted to Norristown borough by the state, which in turn plans to transfer the land to Montgomery County redevelopment authority.

In addition to the hospital, the 68-acre property is also the site of a homeless shelter with 50 beds and a crisis diversion program with eight beds. These will also have to close or relocate due to the deal.

The Norristown State Hospital used to be home to as many as 5,000 people but that number kept going down with the advances in the treatment of mental illnesses.

Today, the crumbling buildings are mostly unused.

Read more about the development deal over the land parcel at Norristown State Hospital campus in WHYY.